Canada · British Columbia · Vancouver
Gastown, Vancouver — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Gastown is Vancouver's original townsite at Maple Tree Square, Water Street its spine, by Burrard Inlet and Chinatown. The Downtown Eastside adjoins.
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Where to stay in Gastown
Where the beds are, and what that means for the visit.
Staying in Gastown suits travellers who want to be within walking distance of the harbour, the restored warehouses along Water Street, and the bars that fill the district after dark. Gastown holds few rooms. The stock leans to boutique hotels and heritage conversions rather than large chains, so rooms book up early.
Chinatown, the Vancouver Police Museum, and the Downtown Eastside sit within a few blocks, while the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre marks the western edge. Nights run late near the pubs, so light sleepers may prefer the quieter stretch toward Alexander Street. For a wider choice of rooms, the rest of Downtown Vancouver lies immediately west.
Things to do in and around Vancouver
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
3- Seaforth Armoury Heritage
- Beatty Street Drill Hall Heritage
- Museum of Vancouver
Churches & Religious Sites
3- Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, Vancouver Heritage
- Coastal Church Heritage
- St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Stadiums & Sports
1- Athletic Park (Vancouver)
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About Gastown
What are the main landmarks in Gastown?
The district's own set piece is Maple Tree Square, the cobbled junction where Gastown began. West along Hastings Street, the Vancouver Lookout rises above Harbour Centre. Its viewing deck looks over Burrard Inlet.
East on Cordova Street, the Vancouver Police Museum and St. James Anglican Church mark the edge of the Downtown Eastside. Cross Carrall Street into Chinatown, where the Chinese Canadian Museum and the Chinatown Storytelling Centre trace the history of Vancouver's Chinatown community. Most sit within a ten-minute walk.
What is the history of Gastown?
Gastown began in 1867, when the saloon-keeper John Deighton opened a bar on the south shore of Burrard Inlet to serve workers at the nearby Hastings Mill. The settlement took his nickname, Gassy Jack. Renamed Granville in 1870, the site became the core of the City of Vancouver when the city incorporated in 1886.
A fire levelled the wooden town that same year, and it rose again in brick and stone, which is why the warehouses along Water Street share one heavy Victorian look. After decades of decline, the district was protected as a provincial historic area in 1971.
Where is Gastown?
Gastown occupies a narrow wedge between Burrard Inlet to the north and West Hastings Street to the south, at the northeast corner of Downtown Vancouver. Water Street curves along the old shoreline, meeting Carrall Street at Maple Tree Square, the five-point junction that anchors the district. Cordova and Powell Streets run parallel a block inland, and Carrall Street forms the seam with Chinatown just beyond.
To the east lies the Downtown Eastside.
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Updated October 2026